


Silence Speaks Volumes

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Not Thor: The Dark World Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 21:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2523020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy earns her place with the Avengers - against their better judgment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clint's Summary

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter will be familiar to some readers. It is from my collection of prompts. I had enough people asking me for more that they created a plot bunny and it woke up. The first chapter gives you the basic story, but now you'll get a little more depth - and a different POV.
> 
> Please note - as per tags - not compliant with Dark World as the first chapter was written before I ever saw it.

Clint could watch her for hours without noticing the time slip away.  Her being Darcy Lewis – bright, sassy, curvaceous Darcy Lewis.

It hadn’t always been that way. He’d seen her in New Mexico, dancing in the lab, completely ignoring the people walking past on the street. She could usually be found chasing after Dr. Jane Foster trying to force food, sleep, and sometimes clothing on the absent-minded scientist. At the time, she’d been no more than Dr. Foster’s intern. She wore bulky sweaters, strange hats, and either ignored or glared at every SHIELD agent who crossed her path. She just didn’t hold his attention.

Then came Loki and Clint’s word turned upside down.

Clint, never loud to begin with, fell almost silent after the whole thing. He ghosted through the Tower, staying, but not really living. He avoided the helicarrier like the plague unless directly ordered to show his face. He withdrew into a shell, trying to face the guilt burrowing in his gut. Even Tasha, who understood better than anybody, couldn’t reach him. The team tried talking; they tried fighting; hell, Fury had even tried lecturing – it didn’t seep through the barrier he’d put up.

He didn’t want the world able to touch him.

His watchful gaze observed as Dr. Foster blew back in from Tromso, irritation and annoyance trailing in her wake. Darcy tripped along behind her – the one-time intern, now permanent assistant rolled her eyes at the scientist’s dramatics and stared around at the Tower and the team in fascination. He watched her out of boredom initially. She didn’t have the same aura of destiny or shadow of blood the rest of them did. She was…normal. She didn’t belong in their world – not with her wide innocent eyes, her kittenish curiosity, or her open optimism.

The rest of the team seemed to agree.

He stayed in the vents or rooftop perches and watched the team close her out despite her best efforts to be friendly. Bruce tried to avoid her when he could and ignore her when he couldn’t. Tony tried to run her off with insults and salacious commentary. Natasha usually ignored her, or tried to scare her if that didn’t work. Steve was polite, but distant. Pepper was too busy to call them on their behavior. Doc Foster watched everything through narrowed eyes, and finally pulled Darcy into a big, if private discussion. Later he found out that she had asked Darcy if they should just leave, no matter what SHIELD was offering for them to stay.

Darcy put her foot down and dug in her heels.

Clint watched as Doc Foster left the meeting to go back to the labs. Darcy came out of the room with her chin high and shoulders back, but her eyes held a complicated mix of anger, fear, pain, and shame. He felt the blow of that gaze even though she couldn’t see him. His fists clenched involuntarily. They had done this to her…deliberately. They had chosen to make her uncomfortable, trying to drive her out through fear instead of understanding.

She knew they didn’t want her, but she didn’t know why.

That pain drew him to keep watch over the next few days. He watched as she ignored them, one and all. No matter how rude, scary, crude, or polite, she never responded at all. It was as if they didn’t exist. He could see their actions and words stutter as they were met with a blank wall. Now he followed her, intrigued, as the others stopped needling her and started watching. They understood fear, anger, disgust, but this complete indifference bewildered them. His own intrigue grew, turning slowly into admiration and then interest. One night he showed up in the kitchen as she made her nightly cup of hot chocolate.

She stared at him for a long moment; he stared back.

Clint sat on the countertop as she made a double portion of chocolate. Darcy gave a small smile as she handed him a mug on her way out of the room. He sipped the hot liquid as he watched her walk down the hallway. The kitten seemed to be playing a deep psychological game. He wasn’t sure what she had been looking for, but he must have passed some kind of test.

She started making an extra cup every night.

After that, he made sure to show up every night for his cup. She never said a word, never did more than smile, but she always had a cup just for him. Two weeks passed without her paying attention to anyone other than Doc Foster and himself. The rest of the team grew twitchy. Nobody ignored them – loved them, hated them, feted them, insulted them, but never ignored them. Darcy just let them stew.

Oddly enough, Tasha was the first to break.

He might have expected it actually if he stopped to think. People never ignored Widow. They didn’t go out of their way to make friends, preferring to give her a wide berth, but they never ignored her. Anytime she entered a room people’s eyes would be drawn to her. The foolish ones stared; the smart ones kept an eye on her while going about their own business. She’d never had someone who breezed past her like she didn’t exist.

It hit her hard.

Clint slid between the two women as Tasha strode forward, eyes steely and cold. He planted himself firmly in her way and she bared her teeth. Darcy continued working at the stove as the partners stared at one another. A nearly inaudible growl rumbled between Tasha’s gritted teeth. He grew still, prepared for her to move. The tension drew taut, razor-fine.

Darcy cleared her throat.

Both agents blinked. He looked over his shoulder incredulously to meet Darcy’s bright green eyes. She smiled at him, handing him his usual cup of cocoa. Her eyes traveled to meet Tasha’s for the first time in weeks. For just a brief moment, she let the mask drop and the true depth of her pain shone out. Then she brought the mask back up and smiled.

She handed Tasha a cup of her own before sailing out of the room.

He stared after her and then met Tasha’s eyes. Silver tears coated the usually flinty gaze. Darcy had managed to do in one look what no torturer, no seducer, no psychologist could do in a year – she broke through the Widow’s defenses. A new look flooded Tasha’s face, a look previously held only for him and for Coulson. Darcy was hers; she was Darcy’s.

Game, set, and match to the assistant.

Clint watched as the others fell, one by one, like a line of dominos. Tony, who he honestly had expected to break first, fell the very next morning. He finally complained to JARVIS, and found out the AI had an unexpected soft spot for Darcy. JARVIS proceeded to replay every comment or insult Tony had tossed at her without thinking. Tony showed up that night, a flowery, if scrambled apology starting to pour out, but one look at those wounded green eyes and he stuttered to a stop. He stood there, opening and closing his mouth helplessly for a moment before she smiled and handed him a cup of chocolate. Pepper followed within minutes, obviously confused by the silent kitchen.

She won yet again without saying a word.

He leaned against the kitchen cabinet as he saw Steve accept a cup the following evening after the man had been unable to resist drawing her. The good Captain stared at his drawing for a long, long while that afternoon. Something flickered in his eyes and he walked out of the Tower with a troubled look on his face. Darcy walked over to the abandoned sketch, her fingers brushing lightly over it before she met Clint’s gaze. He walked over to see.

Darcy’s injured eyes stare back at him.

She likely knew as well as Clint that Bruce would be the hardest of them all. He was not only used to being alone; he preferred it. He would be the toughest nut for her to crack simply because the man could vanish almost as well as either assassin, and nobody pushed him too far because of the potential for Hulk to make an impromptu appearance. After conquering the whole of the Tower within a few days of each other, it looked like Darcy might be stuck.

And she still wasn’t talking to anyone but Doc Foster.

Clint fidgeted as he watched over her. Days went by and then a week. Her shoulders began to drop slightly. The time was wearing on her. This silent ghost of a person wasn’t her. She was meant to be lively and laughing, not drifting in and out. The kitten needed to stop hunting and start playing. His hands tightened on the perch; he wanted to reach out, to comfort her. He hadn’t realized how deeply she had burrowed into his skin. She had been an innocent outsider, someone who didn’t belong in their world. Now she was the hint of magnolia persevering through difficulties, the warmth curling around his heart and driving out the chill of memory, the spark that startled him night after night as her fingers brushed his so briefly as she handed him a cup, the rich flavor of chocolate blending with a sharp trace of mint, and the smile causing his breath to catch at its simple beauty. She invaded all but one of his senses.

He grew desperate to hear her voice.

Darcy stood, shaking, but erect, in front of Hulk. The other Avengers vibrated with the need to pull her to safety, but feared setting Hulk off if they tried. The green behemoth stared at her, tilting his head in confusion. She stared back. The entire tableau froze as he reached out and touched her hair. Her hand moved until she could touch his arm. She patted it, giving him a gentle smile even as a shiver ran down her back. Hulk gave a deep sigh, the air of it stirring her hair. He sat down and seemed to slowly collapse in on himself until Bruce lay there, shaking and disoriented. She took the blanket Tony offered and covered Bruce’s trembling figure. He met her eyes and a shared look of sorrow sealed it.

Bruce showed up that night for cocoa.

Clint listened as Darcy danced around the media room, teasing Tony and trying to get Bruce to eat his sandwich. She stopped to comment on Jane and Steve’s chess game before hugging the newly returned Thor and stealing the watching Pepper’s heels to try them on. She shared a brownie with Tasha before finally hoisting herself up onto the perch next to him. He curled his arm around her and she leaned up to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth before resting her head on his shoulder.

“I love family night,” she whispered, happiness threading through her voice. 

He shifted to press a kiss to her temple, still grateful for the sound of it after such a stretch of silence.  Yes, he could watch her for hours without noticing the time slip away, but listening to her voice might be his favorite hobby of all.


	2. Darcy's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy Marie Lewis was nobody's carpet and nobody's scapegoat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of Darcy's journey to stand up to the team...or how one woman can defeat the Avengers. it is shorter than the summary, but it seemed a good place to break.

“I just don’t understand,” Darcy whispered as she buried her head in her hands. “What have I done?”

“You didn’t do anything!” Jane insisted, pacing around the room. “I’m about two seconds away from rewiring JARVIS to electrocute the whole collection of them. The way they’ve been treating you…” Her voice trailed off into an inarticulate growl and she threw a small pillow against the wall. “If Thor were here…” The petite scientist shook her head and muttered under her breath.

Darcy lifted her hands, confusion etched across her face, “Then why-?”

“I don’t know,” Jane replied. She stopped in front of Darcy, almost jittery in her stillness. “Other than atrocious manners, I just don’t know.” The two women fell silent and the minutes ticked by. When the silence grew heavy, Jane crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you want to leave?” she asked her assistant. “I don’t care what SHIELD is offering,” she continued as Darcy blinked in surprise. “I will go back to working oddball jobs on the side for spare change. Say the word and we’re out of here.”

“Jane,” Darcy managed a laugh before throwing her arms around her friend. “You’re too sweet.”

“Sweet, my ass,” huffed the scientist even as she returned the hug. “They’re hurting you.”

Darcy leaned into the hug for another minute before pulling back. “Yeah,” she agreed in a soft voice. Then her chin went up and her eyes began to flash as her temper spiked. “But I’m not going to let them drive us out. You’ve got huge leads on how to get the big guy back, and they’re not going to ruin it.” Now it was her turn to pace the room. Her mind flipped through ideas, considering, ejecting, reconsidering, until she found one she could work with. Her lips curved with a hint of malice.

One of Jane’s eyebrows went up. “The last time you got that look on your face, you took down half of Culver University’s network.” she pointed out as she leaned against a desk.

“Only the science department,” Darcy retorted. “They were rude to you and Erik.”

“True,” Jane allowed, “but what are you planning now?”

“Puberty taught me a lot of things,” Darcy grinned, “more than just how almost all guys stumble over themselves when faced with good curves.” Jane rolled her eyes, but Darcy shrugged. “The popular and the powerful are always the ones loved and hated. People talk about them, pursue them, and copy them.”

“Okay, so?”

“So as it turns out, no matter how much they claim to not need or want that kind of thing going on, they get real used to it, real fast.” Her eyes glittered with satisfaction. “Above all else,” she continued, “they hate being ignored.”

“You’re going to ignore them.” Jane drew out the words.

“As if they don’t even exist.”

Jane’s lips pursed. “Are you sure about this? I meant it – we can leave.”

“Not until you get the big guy back,” Darcy shook her head. “Don’t worry so much, boss lady. I’ve got this.”

They spent another half hour huddled together in the room hashing out Darcy’s plan. Jane left for the labs, finally satisfied as to Darcy’s well-being, and Darcy herself headed for her own apartment to ready herself for the upcoming struggle. One thing she knew – it would not be easy. Ignoring people was not her way – and she hated the thought of living this way for who knew how long. Still…Darcy Marie Lewis was nobody’s carpet and nobody’s scapegoat. 

She would turn herself into a blank canvas…what they saw would be of their own creation.

Darcy rose the next morning ready for battle. She supposed she should have guessed it would be Steve Rogers she saw first. It bothered her a bit to close him out because he’d been polite, but the whole distance thing, refusing to acknowledge her beyond mere courtesy meant he held the same opinion as the rest. They didn’t think she belonged here for whatever reason. Her lips firmed.

Too damn bad.

“Miss Lewis,” Steve nodded, never lifting his eyes from the paper.

Unlike previous mornings, she gave him no reply. She walked past him to make her breakfast and dig out something to try and tempt Jane into eating. The back of her neck prickled and she knew he was looking at her, but she refused to turn around. Her hands never faltered in their work. Soon she assembled breakfast for two and breezed out of the kitchen once more, not once acknowledging the fact that she wasn’t alone in the room.

She felt his eyes on her all the way out the door.

Her next test came as she stepped off the elevator. Natasha Romanoff walked towards her, those cold eyes focusing in an unblinking stare. On a normal day, Darcy tried to say hello or in some way make conversation only to stutter to a stop as she was met by silence and a continued stare. Today Darcy strode right past the red-headed spy. She didn’t speak, didn’t look, she didn’t so much as recognize the other woman’s presence. Her footsteps remained calm and steady as they carried her down the hall and into Jane’s lab. Using one hip as leverage, she closed the door.

Darcy slumped against the door, eyes scanning the room.

“It’s just us,” Jane told her, glancing up from her notebook.

“Oh, thank God,” Darcy muttered. “Give me just a few minutes to talk before I stop. I swear this is going to kill me. That or teach me a major lesson in self-control. Can I admit to be more pissed now than I was earlier? Mostly because I’m going to probably go completely mental from staying quiet?”

“Miss Lewis?” JARVIS interrupted.

“Yes, J?” Darcy’s lips curved into a small smile. She never had trouble with the AI – who usually seemed apologetic about its creator’s bad manners.

“You should be aware of Agent Barton’s tendency to use the ventilation shafts for travel purposes.” 

Her eyes darted to the nearest exit. “What?”

“Agent Barton is quite…reclusive.”

“That’s new,” Darcy murmured. “And a trifle creepy. I’m guessing he’s not up there right now?”

“No, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy turned towards Jane. “I’m going to have to quit talking cold turkey unless it’s one of our bedrooms.” She paused. “You can block him from our bedrooms, right, J?”

“Of course, Miss Lewis.”

“And I’ll just have to start taking lunches,” Jane smiled, moving over to give her a quick hug. “We can retreat to one of our rooms and you can talk to me and JARVIS all you want. Right, JARVIS?”

“Certainly, Doctor Foster,” JARVIS replied. “It will be a privilege to be of service.”

“Thank you,” Darcy gave a tremulous smile. “This is going to suck, I know it, but…”

Jane’s smile shifted from supportive to a mingling of grim and amused. “It will, but they deserve the guilt trip from hell. And if this doesn’t work, then we pack up and move out because they don’t deserve us.”

“And that is why you rock, boss lady,” Darcy laughed. She stretched, drew in a deep breath, and lifted her chin. “So, Operation GTFH is a go.”


End file.
